Bruises & Bitemarks (SasuNaru)

100.

I hear a quiet exhalation from beside me, then Sai touches a hand to my shoulder. "Alright. I understand."

"Thanks, Sai."

He nods. "Be strong, Naruto," he says softly, then takes a different path to his own class.

I manage to avoid questioning peers by taking lunch in my room and holing up there during spare period, and leaking Kyuubi's aura whenever I have to be in the crowd. This continues in my last class, English, where Sasuke is also sitting beside me. Of course, when we were together we chose adjacent seats on purpose, but now that's gone and backfired. It doesn't seem to matter much, though, because we ignore each other easily. By the end of the day the talk everywhere is that Sasuke and I have broken up. No one knows for sure: none of my friends will confirm it to anyone else, and for this subtle protection of my privacy I'm eternally grateful. If people are going to know, I want it to be on my terms. I'm not about to stand up and give a speech or anything like that, but in a few days I think I might be ready to answer yes if someone asks. For now, I stick to the demon aura and people generally stay away. Kyuubi, despite all things, is enjoying himself.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you'd use my powers purely for selfish reasons," he chuckles. "Maybe you're not as much of a goody-two-shoes as you seemed."

I close the door of my room behind me. "Am I not entitled to be a little selfish right now?"

"Perhaps, but if you're not careful people will go back to seeing you as the monster yourself, and then where will you be?"

This pulls me up short, but only for a second. I flop down onto my bed. "Why should I even care anymore? If it means they'll leave me alone, all the better."

Kyuubi won't stop laughing.

"I guess I was wrong to assume you were starting to warm up to me, then," I snap.

"Did I ever say I gave a damn?"

"No, but only because you're too chicken to admit it. You know as well as I do that we're not enemies anymore."

"So what if keeping you alive is in my best interests?" he says, but then the doorknob turns and Aoi walks in.

"Hey, Naruto. How are you feeling? How was getting back to classes?"

"Not as bad as expected, I guess," I reply. "Actually, sometimes I wonder if I'm not as sad as I think I should be. It's not that I'm not, it's just... I feel like I'm handling it so well. It's like I don't even care anymore. I've broken down for lesser things."

"Maybe you're getting stronger," he suggests. "You don't need to be able to plead insanity to validate your sorrow."

I have to smile. "I suppose so. Last weekend was cathartic enough. Anyway, I'm tired of drama."

He puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "That's it."

His cellphone goes off. He picks up his text, then turns to me. "Sakura wants you in the common room."

"Huh?" I frown and pull out my own phone, only to realize it's off. "Oh. Alright, thanks. You coming?"

He shakes his head. "You'll want some alone time. Anyway, I've got homework."

I nod my thanks and bid him goodbye before heading down. Sakura-chan and Aoi broke up on good terms a couple of months ago, apparently deciding they had more things in common as friends. They still hang out often, which I'm happy about. It almost makes me jealous, in a way – that's not an arrangement I could ever have with Sasuke. Casual isn't a word that could ever describe what's between us. With him, it's all or nothing.